AT LAST The Treasure Hunt Results!

The Isle of Fire Treasure Hunt is over!

96 Readers participated in this hunt, more than triple the number who set sail on the Isle of Swords Hunt. I cannot thank you enough for all you've done to get the word out about my books. Remember, these aren't just stories, but they are tools that God can use to bring people closer to Him. You've all been footsoldiers, taking the message into battle. I am humbled. All I can say is thank you.
And now, the winners...





For the #1 & 2 Treasure Hunters (the adventurous ones who accumulate the most Treasure Points) I will give you one copy of every new book I write...for LIFE. That means, should the Lord allow me to live long enough to write all the stories rattling around in my head, you will get a signed copy of each one sent directly to you. Of course, if you move and don't give me your new address, then…someone else will be getting all those books. Doh! AND I will name a character** in my next fantasy series after you. That's correct: I'll use your real name, your username, or a character name you create as a character in my new fantasy series. Of course, if your name is Bob, we’ll need to go with something a little more fantasy-ish. And Here they are, the two grand prize winners:

Rien Takhid*: 14770
Butterfli_1: 10150

*I'm still awaiting some clarification on points, so this may change the order of 1 & 2, but not their status as winners.

Rien & Butterfli: Please email me your mailing address and the fantasy name you'd like me to use for your character in one of my new fantasy stories. Please put: Books 4 Life Winner Character Name in the subject line of that email!


For the #3, #4, and #5 Treasure Hunter: I will send you a signed copy of any book I’ve written AND give you a choice of A) sending you a signed copy of an original, unpublished fantasy short story I’ve written called “Forget Me Not.” –OR- B) You can invite a bunch of your friends together some evening, and I will personally call and talk to you and your friends about the books, about writing, about your favorite kind of pizza—whatever’s clever. The three Prize-winning Runners up are:

BDeastman: 8460
Cson: 7520
JonM: 5250

BD, Cson, and Jon: Please email me and tell me which of my 5 books you'd like a signed. Include your current email address. Also, please tell me whether you want the "Limited Edition Unpublished Short Story" or the "Virtual Visit" where I call you and your friends some night to discuss the books. Please put: My Book Request and Prize Choice
in the subject line of your email.

One final thought: I probably won't be writing another book in the Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire series for a while. That does NOT mean that there won't be another hunt. As you know, author Christopher Hopper and I are cowriting a two book fantasy series. Believe me when I tell you, you have NO idea the kind of CRAZY adventure Mr. Hopper and I will cook up for you as we prepare to release the first book in this new series. Look for the new Hunt to begin some time around late Spring 2009. And as always, Never alone.

1,824,640,802,600,500,345 million stars!

Well, I'm back from the Fantasy Tour. Lots of stories to tell. I'll have to take it slow and post a little at a time. You can also see the tour video journals on fantasyfictiontour.com.

In other news, the Isle of Fire Treasure Hunt ends tomorrow. Last Call for Treasure Points.

And finally: I've had lots of good reviews, and I am SO thankful for every kind word. We creative folks are awfully sensitive and notoriously thin-skinned about things said concerning our books. So when a nice review comes along, it is very meaningful.

I received a review today from a 9-year old boy. He read Isle of Fire and wrote a very sweet review. The last line made me laugh out loud. Read it if you wish, but beware of a few SPOILERS if you haven't read Isle of Fire yet.

This book is about some pirates and monks who travel around the world to find Thorne and the Merchant. They started working with the monk when they found Cat. Cat is not his real name, it is his nickname. They don’t say what his real name is, so I just call him Cat. Cat is a boy who lives with the monks because his mom died and his dad is evil and left him on an isle of fire. Cat is afraid that he looks like his dad and will become like his dad. Anne found Cat when he was a boy on the island. Cat and Anne are on a journey to find Scully and the Merchant. Anne is Ross’ daughter who saved Cat from the island. Cat and Anne kind of like each other.
The Merchant is evil and Scully works for him. Thorne is a pirate and a good fighter who is friends for Red Eye and works for Ross on his ship called Robert Bruce. A boy named Hooper and a lady named Lady Dolphin and Sir Nigel found Hooper on their ship and they are helping him find his parents. Until then they decide to take care of him. I think Lady Dolphin is using Hooper to help her find her dad’s journals.
I liked this book and I recommend this book to people who like pirates and adventure and a lot of fighting and capturing. I give this book 1,824,640,802,600,500,345 million stars and I know that’s not a number.
The End

Reviews…and the Final Quest!

Greetings, all! I just received a very nice surprise from TitleTrakk.com. One of their staff wrote a phenomenal review of Isle of Swords...with a promise of reviewing Isle of Fire soon. Please check it out by clicking one of the links below:

TitleTrakk Review

Also, just three weeks left on the Isle of Fire Treasure Hunt, so it's time for the FINAL QUEST.

Your Task: Write a review of Isle of Swords and/or Isle of Fire for Amazon. Email me the body of the review and when you posted it. Because I'm trying to build buzz for the pirate books right now, I'll award you 200 points for the review (400 for both). If you've already written one, that counts. Just email me a reminder with the body of the review.

Multiplier 1: Get someone else to write an Amazon review for IOS and IOF. Just email me who you encouraged to do it, the body of the text, and when it was posted.

Multiplier 2: Isle of Swords currently has 32 reviews. Isle of Fire has 8 reviews. I want to see Isle of Swords reach 50 reviews. If we get the 18 reviews to push to 50 by the end of the Treasure Hunt (Oct. 18), everyone who wrote a review gets a bonus 1000 points. If we get the 22 reviews for IOF to push it to 30 reviews by the end of the Treasure Hunt (Oct. 18), everyone who wrote a review gets 1000points.

NOTE: If this happens, I'll need you to email me your review and personally claim your points--even if you wrote your review long before this quest began!

Multiplier 3: If we write enough reviews to get IOS to 50 --AND-- IOF to 30, everyone who wrote reviews gets 3,000 points!

NOTE: If this happens, I'll need you to email me your review and personally claim your points--even if you wrote your review long before this quest began!

About reviews--Make sure your Amazon review adheres to the following:

1. Reviews must be at least 5 sentences.
2. Reviews must include a little about the story (but NO SPOILERS).
3. Reviews must include what you like and don't like about the story.
4. Reviews must include who you think would like the story (Ex. Teens will especially love Isle of Swords because many of the main characters are all teenagers.)

PS: If you are in the contest and are too young to leave a review on Amazon, your parent can post one for you.

Treasure Hunt...coming down to the wire! New Quests, and an Announcement, well...sort of.

The Isle of Fire Treasure Hunt is sailing along on gale winds! I've updated the scores and, as you can see, there are lots of contenders. See below the amazing creations of two of our treasure hunters! The rather professional-looking display was created by Rien and the poster/T-shirt combo was Erica's! Surely, the two a' you be pirates of the highest order!

ALL Treasure Hunters, be aware: I will not be updating the Treasure Points again, UNTIL THE CONTEST IS OVER, OCTOBER 14TH. So, if you've been hording points in an eBay like attempt to win at the end, go ahead and start shooting me emails with your points!





Two New Quests:

#1 Finish reading Isle of Fire. Post a review on Amazon. Send me the link. 200 points.

#2 Visit and comment on all 8 of the Fantasy Tour's Author's blogs' most recent posts! Wow, that's a lot of possessives! eMail me when you've done it. 100 points.

Announcement #1: Gigantic Isle of Fire Release Party

Where: Barnes & Noble Ellicott City, Maryland
Long Gate Shopping Center
4300 Montgomery Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-203-9001

When: Friday, Sept. 26th, 6pm-close.

Aside from the annual HisWay event, this is my favorite Signing Haunt each year. It's my local B&N, and the CSM, Amber, really knows how to throw a party. Last year it was standing room only for the readings and swashbuckling. And I personally signed over 300 books. It was absolutely nuts that night--but way fun.

Look for more of the same this Friday. If any of you bloggers or treasure hunters are in the Maryland area, drop by! I'd love to meet you and sign your books!

Announcement #2: Actually, this is a teaser announcement. But something rather unexpected has happened. I had some plans, but God had other plans. And you know what? I like the new plans A LOT. There are still some things that must be finalized before I can be more specific, but for now, just know that this will be a first for me and a very special announcement. (Oh, and no, it's not a movie deal, sigh)

The Countdown has Begun...

Avast ye, Readers, today be August 20th. In just three short weeks, Isle of Fire will be released to all ye pirates out there. And fer those a' ye who be a part of the Treasure Hunt, don't forget the serious booty in it for you, should you buy from Amazon on the release date.

200 Treasure Points:

•Buy Isle of Fire from Amazon.com on the day of September 9th! email me the receipt. Anyone who does this gets a bonus of 500 Treasure Points if Isle of Fire appears in Amazon’s top 100 bestselling books that day!

You Oughta Be in Pictures & New Quest

Seen below are Treasure Hunters NateT and Jon M (Jon's in the middle pic) as they've charted a course to local bookstores in search of my books. Look what they found. Amazingly this Barnes & Noble store was having a sale: Buy one copy of The Final Storm and get two children free!




And now for the new QUEST.

419,375

That's the current Amazon bestseller ranking for Isle of Swords Hardback. That means out of the 3+ Million books Amazon sells, Isle of Swords is selling 419,375th best. That's not so hot.

Here's the quest. Buy a copy of Isle of Swords from Amazon from now until, well, until I say STOP, you'll get 300 points for the purchase. And this is repeatable. So if you want to buy Isle of Swords for yourself, and then for your cousins Larry, Moe, and Curly, you can do that: 300, 600, 900...get the picture? As always, email me the receipt.

Bonus Opportunity #1: Purchase Isle of Swords from Amazon, but use the widget link in my sidebar to get to Amazon and make the purchase, you get a bonus 50 points. Just be sure to tell me in the email that you went through the link to Amazon off my blog.

Bonus Opportunity #2: If my Amazon Sales Ranking # for Isle of Swords should dip below 10,000th at any time in the next two weeks, everyone who has purchased Isle of Swords during that span gets a bonus 100 points. *Of course, I don't check Amazon every ten minutes, but one might see the ranking before I do. EMAIL me to let me know. If you have such technical expertise, do a screen capture and send me the image too! It'd be fun to post that!

Happy Hunting!

-Wayne Thomas Batson

Feeling Adventurous? Ready to Sail? Come One, Come All! Enter the ISLE OF FIRE TREASURE HUNT CONTEST!

I’ve hinted and nudged long enough. Today is July 9th, precisely two months from the release of my new pirate adventure novel: Isle of Fire. I’m very happy with this novel, and I hope you’ll have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. The early reviews are very strong. But I am not content to simply let the book come out on its own. I want to set ablaze* the bookstores, the online communities, the word of mouth recommendations with talk of Isle of Fire.
*Editor’s Note: Wayne is not actually planning to set fire to anything.

Therefore, I am starting a contest on this blog, similar to the Isle of Swords Treasure Hunt, only better. The quests? Better. The excitement? Better. The prizes? Better.

To the Winners Go the Spoils:
(uh...here's what you can win)

For the #1 & 2 Treasure Hunters (the adventurous ones who accumulate the most Treasure Points) I will give you one copy of every new book I write...for LIFE. That means, should the Lord allow me to live long enough to write all the stories rattling around in my head, you will get a signed copy of each one sent directly to you. Of course, if you move and don't give me your new address, then…someone else will be getting all those books. Doh! AND I will name a character** in my next fantasy series after you. That's correct: I'll use your real name, your username, or a character name you create as a character in my new fantasy series. Of course, if your name is Bob, we’ll need to go with something a little more fantasy-ish.

**Editor’s Note #2: No Guarantee that your character won't get killed off in some horribly unpleasant manner.

For the #3, #4, and #5 Treasure Hunter: I will send you a signed copy of any book I’ve written AND give you a choice of A) sending you a signed copy of an original, unpublished fantasy short story I’ve written called “Forget Me Not.” –OR- B) You can invite a bunch of your friends together some evening, and I will personally call and talk to you and your friends about the books, about writing, about your favorite kind of pizza—whatever’s clever.

Here are the guidelines:

1. The contest begins today: July 9th and will continue for 3 Months, ending October 9th. (or slightly after I return from the Fantasy Fiction West Coast Tour).

2. To enter, post a comment here to let me know you are participating. You will also have to send me an email with your real name and address to verify your participation. I will keep your personal information private.

If you are a younger reader PLEASE get parent permission to join the contest and participate in these activities.

Please send the information to:

batguy21784atyahoodotcom

Of course, when you email, replace the above at with the @ symbol and the word dot with an actual dot .

3. Then, begin completing the tasks below to earn Treasure Points.

4. Be on the lookout for special Quests and One-Day Events where you can earn buckets of Treasure Points—but these are limited time only when they come up. So, check the blog here often.

5. All tasks must happen between July 9th and Oct. 9th. There are no exceptions. No working backward.

6. Prepare to go surfing. For some quests, I’ll be sending you to the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour Site and/or the sites of the 8 authors on the tour. And only in those places will you find clues to a great riddle you must solve—mega Treasure Points!

7. Finally, and this is HUGE: I am looking for a big turnout for the HUNT, so while the contest begins today, it will not be ACTIVE until we have at least 40 people in the contest***. We had 33 contestants last time, so we’re trying to surpass that number and have the greatest impact. 40 people entered is the magic number, so get your friends involved in the contest.

***Editor’s Note #3: this does not necessarily mean that the contestant is totally active the whole time. Entered counts.

Treasure Points Tasks Key

10 Treasure Points:

•Mention ANY of my books in a blog thread--your blog or someone else's—email me the link AND post it in your comment here. (You can do this up to 10 times, totaling up to 100 points).

•Post a link to my blog anywhere on your blog--then, email me the link AND post it in your comment here.

• Visit the Motive8 Fantasy Fiction Tour Website. Read an article (or three) and post a comment there. (You can do this up to 10 times, totaling up to 100 points).


20 Treasure Points:

• Put a banner ad for the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour up on your site. Email me for the source code.

• Call someone you know on the West Coast. If that person comes to see us on the Fantasy Fiction Tour, you score 20. Just have that person introduce himself and tell us that you get the Treasure Hunt Points. If that person buys one or more books from any of the authors, you get 100 Treasure Points for each book purchased!

•Post cover artwork from any of my books on your blog and make it a link to Amazon or CBD. Email me the link and post the link in your comment on this thread.

• Email a digital photo of you with a store employee in a bookstore where any of my books are shelved. In the photo, I must be able to see the book on the shelf and in your hands. Every photo you send is worth ten points, but each photo must be from a different store, and with each photo, include the name and address of the store as well as the name of the employee. Please let me know if I am allowed to post the photo on the blog. This is repeatable for each of my five books: The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire (when it comes out in Sept.)

Because some people live in small towns without any bookstores, I will allow you to ask friends to get photos for you. The friend must be in the photo along with the store employee.

•Create an Amazon Listmania List that includes The Door Within Books, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire. Post and email the link. (10 Listmania Limit: 200pts total)

•Write a review of any of The Motiv8 Authors' Books on Amazon or any of the following online review sites: CBD, Goodreads, Shelfari, ScienceFictionandFantasyWorld.com, etc. (Note: Limit of 4 reviews per author, so that's 80 points per author, not per author per site)

50 Treasure Points:

• Write a review of any of my books on Amazon or any of the following online review sites: CBD, Goodreads, Shelfari, ScienceFictionandFantasyWorld.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Incredibooks (see below), or any other review site that I approve. Email me the link and post the link in your comment on this thread. And yes, you can write ONE review for a book and post it multiple places. Each review posted gets you 50 points. So post away!

Note: If you review on Incredibooks, it might be a little confusing at first. Here's the way to do it:
First, find one of the books on Incredibooks. Then scroll down to the comments section and leave a comment with your review. That's all there is to it! Here are links to all of the books that you can review for the contest:

http://incredibooks.com/2007/11/30/isle-of-swords/
http://incredibooks.com/2007/10/17/the-rise-of-the-wyrm-lord/
http://incredibooks.com/2007/09/13/the-door-within/

• Make a poster about Isle of Fire and put it on a school, church, or store bulletin board. The poster has to be at least eight and a half by eleven inches, which is the sized of standard paper, and it must have an image of the book cover.

You can get the book cover image by clicking HERE. A poster needs to include where a person can purchase the book locally, or if there is no local place to get it, mention that it can be purchased online at Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or another online bookseller.

A poster is worth 50 points, but you won't get extra points for more than one poster at the same school. You may put the poster up in many different places, but only one credit per establishment. To get credit for a poster, please send me a digital photo of you at the place where you placed it. And please include whether or not I have your permission to post the photo on my blog.



100 Treasure Points:

• Watch for Today Only Quests Coming Soon.

• Recommend One of my books to someone. If that person buys it, send me a scanned photocopy of the receipt by email. The receipt must show the store name and the date, and the date must be on or later than today's date, July 9th, 2008. Every bookstore receipt is worth twenty points.

• Amazon gives authors the power to create Purchasing Links for their books. I've created links for each of my five books. Email me and request the HTML code for each of my books linking to Amazon. Put this code on your website or blog, creating a sales link to Amazon, and you get 100 points (max of 500: 1 code link for each book). Please note: this HTML code is directly from Amazon.com. I have them posted on my site and have had no problems. But I cannot be liable if some virus or wee beastie gets into your site because Amazon’s code had it embedded or some such.

•Buy a copy of Isle of Swords and email me when and where you bought it and the receipt.

•Buy any of The Door Within Books email me when and where you bought it and the receipt.

•Buy a copy of any of the 8 fantasy fiction tour author’s books: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, Christopher Hopper, LB Graham, Donita K. Paul, Eric Reinhold, or Jonathan Rogers. email me when and where you bought it and the receipt.

• Write AND present a book report on any Wayne Thomas Batson book at school. 100pts. if you earn an A+ for that assignment.

150 Treasure Points:

•Go to a store that does not carry my books and special order it from that store. email me when and where you bought it and the receipt.

•Go to a store that does not carry my books and persuade them to carry any of my books. Then, post here to tell us what store has now agreed to carry my book(s).

•Buy any of my books and donate them to your church library. Then post here to say where you bought them and what church received them. email me when and where you bought it and the receipt.

• Make a video supporting Isle of Fire and post it on Youtube or Godtube. You can interview people, use music or artwork, or even recruit people to join the contest. If you don't mind, I would like you to include a positive comment or two about the book. Make it imaginative, funny, insightful, anything (within reason) to attract attention.

Posting a video will be worth 150 points, but only one video per person per book will count. As the contest draws to a close, I will award an additional 500 points to the person who makes the best video (in the opinion of the judges).


200 Treasure Points:

•Buy Isle of Fire from Amazon.com on the day of September 9th! email me the receipt. Anyone who does this gets a bonus of 500 Treasure Points if Isle of Fire appears in Amazon’s top 100 bestselling books that day!

•Buy a copy of ANY of my books for the Youth Group Leader of your church. Post a comment here to tell who, when, and where –AND- email me the receipt.

The Amazing Open Category:

•Suppose you have an idea for something that you think will promote one or all of my books, BUT you don’t see it posted on my blog. Email me your idea. If it’s good, I’ll tell you how many points it’s worth—I like to reward creativity! I will then post your idea on my blog so others can do it too. But you will get more points for being the creative one who came up with the plan.


Note #1: If possible, batch your Treasure Points. In other words, say you’ve done 7 tasks. You can email me about them all at once rather than 7 separate emails.

Note #2: I may add to the list of Treasure Point Tasks at any time--and likely will because my twisted mind is always churning...

Note #3: Keep track of your own Treasure Points. I will keep a running tally in my sidebar and try to update it every week or two. But you should keep your total as well.

Note #4: Any and all of the requirements are subject to change as I see how this develops. I want to keep it fair.

Note #5: I hope this competition stays loving and friendly. Although I hope you want to win the books, I also hope you want to share with others the benefit of reading The Door Within Trilogy, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire. Since my books book don’t overtly preach, it's a great opportunity to introduce your friends to a story that will get them asking questions.

My thanks to Author Bryan Davis. I got many ideas for the improved treasure hunt from his Beyond the Reflection’s Edge Contest. In fact, I “borrowed” many of Bryan’s direct wording. Thanks, Sir Bryan.

May the fair trade winds fill your sails!

Quest Alert! See Quest #1 below.

Okay, the Hunt is on, and already a few pirate crews are sailing a wee bit ahead. That could change in an instant. Today is the first Treasure Hunt Quest. Here's your task.

Be the first one to zap over to author Christopher Hopper's blog. Read his latest article and then correctly answer the question below:

Who did Christopher Hopper run into at a local coffee shop? And what makes these people distinctive?

100 points for the first person to post the correct answer here.

If you miss out on the question, you can still earn 50 points! Just be one of the first 20 folks to read CH's new article, post a comment THERE, and then post a comment back HERE that proves you read his article.

NOTE: make sure you post HERE on this thread---not the original hunt thread.

And if you need the link to CH's site, well...this is a hunt. Go find it. ;-)

Never alone.

-WtB

Quest Alert #2: Ready to Surf?

Okay, here's quest #2:

Go to author Eric Reinhold's blog. Read at least one of his articles. Leave a comment on his blog. Find three facts about his new Fantasy book: Ryann Watters and the King's Sword.

Be the first to post the info on this thread, you get 100 points.

Be one of the first 20 to comment on Eric's blog and post on this thread, you get 50 points.

Example* of what your Post might look like:

Hi, this is SwordMuncher. I went to Eric's blog and read the article on Deep Fried Soccer Balls. I left this comment: Those sound tasty, but I much prefer deep fried Oreos.

Here are the three facts about his book:
1. It was first written in 1902.
2. It's about a goblin named Havewarts who picks his nose all the time.
3. The main setting is the dumpster behind a seafood restaurant.

*Note this is a fictional example--none of these things are true. Just an example of format.

Treasure Hunt Winners!

After hours and hours of trying to sort out the last FLURRY of treasure points, I have at last determined the final Treasure Point totals and our winners. There were a few point misunderstandings, as well as, some unintended spamming for recommendations, so I had to make a judgment call about some of the points. There were so many variables and so many qualifications not me (esp. naming people, places, etc) that I hope you'll all just trust that I added the points as accurately as possible. In some cases, I'll provide some extra explanation because some of you actually earned a lot fewer points than you at first calculated. Please email me directly if you have a concern.

Please know that I am thankful beyond words for everyone's incredible effort on behalf of God's work through my books. You all went way beyond my imagination on this, and I am absolutely thrilled. Win or lose, I hope you had a good time in the process. You are ALL Knights and Swordmaidens of Alleble, forever.

And now the list:

HannahShoop: 4985pts.
*Did not count all email recommendations, but awarded 1000pts for the effort.

FlinnFanofTwins: 3930 pts.
*You did not actually have the 3000 point Mega Treasure as Christopher Hopper's Books and my own were not included as purchased during the final week. You were awarded the points for the individual books purchased.

Haley: 1950 pts.
*Had an error in points totaled. This is my best estimate.

Ellie: 1870 pts.
*Did not count the oral book report as individual recommendations, but gave 500 points for the effort.

DragonRider: 1565 pts.

Pais: 1555 pts.

Jconn: 1340pts.

Scoutboy: 1150 pts.

Shane: 905 pts.

Kim: 860 pts.

MasonWilde: 715pts.

Pososhle: 695 pts.

GsusFreak: 675 pts.

Paige: 485 pts.

Tbon100K: 475 pts.

BeckyS: 460 pts.

Josiah's Mom: 450 pts.

TheWriter: 435 pts.

DerekRains: 400 pts.

Theophilus: 400 pts.

KareAlethias: 400 pts.

Lenore: 360 pts.

AmyBrowning: 190pts.

Will: 155 pts

Sarmjornn: 110 pts.

Melissa: 75 pts.

LindsayWest: 75pts.

Shadow: 55 pts.

SaphirraAdi: 50pts.

BrianTubbs: 50 pts.

Kay: 50pts.

Eve: 45 pts.

Paul: 20 pts.

HUGE Congratulations to Hannah, Flinn, Haley, Ellie, and DragonRider! The Five of you will have characters named after you in my next fantasy series. Remember, of course, that these characters may be killed off in remarkably unpleasant ways. LOL You also receive a signed book of your choice. Email me and let me know which of my books you'd like.

I'll need the three of you to email me the name you want me to use in the story. Hannah, Flinn, Haley could all work, but if you have a fantasy name in mind you'd rather me use, let me know. Ellie isn't really fantasy-esque, so do you have another name that would work? Dragonrider is cool, but my next series won't have people riding dragons. So let me know if you have another name you'd like me to use.

And Hannah, you are the grand prize winner. You will receive signed books from me for life. That means every time I have a new book released, you will get a signed copy of that book in the mail! Just email me your mailing address. Your first books will be Isle of Fire, due out August 13th, 2008.

Again, to all, YOU ROCK!!

Never alone.

-Wayne Thomas Batson

One Week Remains in The Isle of Swords Treasure Hunt, and that means: Double Points Week!

Greetings, or should I say, Avast! The Treasure Hunt has been a great success. Thanks for all the great Door Within & Isle of Swords promotion. I've really enjoyed reading all the reviews, and am amazed at the networking you've all been doing on behalf of my books.

I'll be updating the Treasure Point totals soon, so that you all can see where you stand in the rankings. Christmas Day is the Official Deadline for Treasure Points to count. That gives you just a little over a week to add up some points.

I'd really like to see a promotional blitz this last week before Christmas, so beginning Sunday and ending on Christmas Day, all Treasure Points will be doubled! So if you're a last minute shopper and decide to go out and buy the whole Door Within Trilogy and Isle of Swords, you'll earn 800 TREASURE POINTS instead of the previous 400 points!


For the remainder of the Treasure Hunt, please post ALL treasure points accomplishments on THIS THREAD.

Please see below for the treasure points key and potential prizes! NOTE the new "Ultimate Treasure of the Century" Opportunity!

To the Winners Go the Spoils:
(uh...here's what you can win)

The Top FIVE Adventurers who accumulate the Treasure Points will receive a signed book of their choice. AND for each of the top 5, I will name a character* in my next fantasy series after you. That's correct: I'll use your real name, your username, or a character name you create as a character in my new fantasy series. Of course, if your name is Bob, we might want to go with something a little more fantasy-ish.

For the #1 Treasure Points getter, I will give you one copy of every new book I write...for LIFE. That means, should the Lord allow me to live long enough to write all the stories rattling around in my head, you will get a signed copy of each one sent directly to you. Of course, if you move and don't give me your new address, then…someone else will be getting all those books. Doh!

*No Guarantee that your character won't get killed off in some horribly unpleasant manner.


Your mission, should you choose to--ah, you know the rest--is simply this accumulate the Most Treasure Points possible by Christmas 2007 by completing any and all of the tasks listed below:

Treasure Points Tasks Key


10 Treasure Points:
•Mention ANY of my books in a blog thread--your blog or someone else's--post the link in your comment.
•Recommend ANY of my books to someone you know--say who it was.
•Post a link to my blog anywhere on your blog--then, post the link here.
•Post a review of any of my books on a non-review site like a blog, school page, etc. Post a link here.

20 Treasure Points:
•Write a review of any of my books on Amazon or any online review site. Post the link for the review once it's up.
•Post cover artwork from any of my books on your blog and make it a link to Amazon or CBD. Post the link in your comment on this thread.
•Post a link for my book's Amazon or CBD page on your blog. Then, post the link here.

40 Treasure Points:
•Write a review of any of my books and post it on three different online review sites. Post the link for the review here once it's up.

50 Treasure Points:
•Recommend ANY of my books to someone you know--say who it was. And then, this person chose to buy the book!
•Spot ANY of my books in a bookstore outside of the state in which you live. Post here to let us know where and when.

100 Treasure Points:
•Buy a copy of Isle of Swords and post when and where you bought it.
•Buy any of The Door Within Books and post when and where you bought it.
•Write a review of ALL of my books and post ALL of them on THREE online review sites. Post the links for the reviews once they're up.
•Buy a copy of any book by one of the Fantasy Fiction Tour Authors: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, and Christopher Hopper.
•Create an Amazon Listmania List that includes The Door Within Books and Isle of Swords.
• Write AND present a book report on any Wayne Thomas Batson, Bryan Davis, Christopher Hopper, or Sharon Hinck book at school. 100pts. if you earn an A+ for that assignment.

150 Treasure Points:
•Go to a store that does not carry my books and special order it from that store.
•Go to a store that does not carry my books and persuade them to carry any of my books. Then, post here to tell us what store has now agreed to carry my book(s).
•Buy any of my books and donate them to your church library. Then post here to say where you bought them and what church received them.

200 Treasure Points:
•Buy a copy of ANY of my books for the Youth Group Leader of your church. Post a comment here to tell who, when, and where.
•Buy one copy of EACH of the Fantasy Fiction Tour Authors: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, Wayne Thomas Batson, and Christopher Hopper. (4 Books total) Post here to say where and when.
•Buy both of Christopher Hopper's books: Rise of the Dibor and The Lion Vrie. Post here to say where and when.
•Buy both of Sharon Hinck's Sword of Lyric Books: Restorer and Restorer's Son. Post here to say where and when.

800 Treasure Points:
•Buy The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, and Isle of Swords (ALL FOUR of my books). Post here and tell where you bought them and when.
•Buy all of Bryan Davis's Dragons in Our Midst Books (4) Post here to say where and when.

Ultimate Treasure of the Century: 3000 Treasure Points:
(only for purchases between December 16th and 25th, 2007)
•Buy all three Door Within books, Isle of Swords, BOTH of Christopher Hopper's White Lion Books, the Complete Dragons in Our Midst --OR-- Oracles of Fire set from Bryan Davis, the first two Restorer Books by Sharon Hinck, and one books from any of the following authors: Donita K. Paul, LB Graham, Jonathon Rogers, or Jeffery Overstreet.
**Please Post Where you purchased the books.



Note: Each of the preceding MAY be repeated as many times as you like.

Note #2: Each of the preceding must be performed from this day (September 18th, 2007) forward. But, upon further review, I have decided to allow contestants to count THREE past book purchases for Treasure Points. So, if you bought The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and The Final Storm last year, you can count those three, but no others.

Note #3: To claim ANY Treasure Points, you must post a comment on THIS thread explaining how you accomplished it.

Note #4: I may add to the list of Treasure Point Tasks at any time--and likely will because my twisted mind is always churning...

Note #5: Keep track of your own Treasure Points. I will keep a running tally in my sidebar and try to update it every week or two. But you should keep your total as well.

Note #6: You cannot kill several birds with one stone. Make sure you indicate in your post how many Treasure Points your accomplishment earned you. In other words, you can't buy one copy of The Door Within, count it for 25 points and then count it AGAIN once you buy the whole series 100 points.

Note #7: Any and all of the requirements are subject to change as I see how this develops. I want to keep it fair.

The Hunt Continues...and Misc Cool Items of Interest

Ahhhhh, the turkey is done. Delicious, I must say. My mom makes this spectacular stuffing with sausage and walnuts in it--YUM! {Ducks as shirt button pops off and ricochets around the room} Wow.

Misc. Cool Item of Interest #1: Just discovered that Rob Bedford over at supercool fantasy mecca SSFworld.com has a review up for Isle of Swords. Check it out by clicking the link below. For Misc. Cool Item of Interest #2, read all the way to the bottom. I promise it will be worth your while.

Isle of Swords Review from Rob H. Bedford at ScienceFiction and Fantasy World

AND...

Just a reminder that you have until Christmas 2007 (Just one month left) to *enter the:

Isle of Swords Treasure Hunt

*By the way, all it takes to enter is to post here saying, I'm in!
**Holiday Shopping time is upon us. Know anyone who likes fantasy or pirate adventure? Buy 'em a Door Within or Isle of Swords book and join the contest!

Here are the details once more for anyone new to The Hunt:

Might Ye Be Lookin' Fer Treasure?

Announcing the Isle of Swords Treasure Hunt Extravaganza!

To the Winners Go the Spoils:
(uh...here's what you can win)

The Top FIVE Adventurers who accumulate the Treasure Points will receive a signed book of their choice. AND for each of the top 5, I will name a character* in my next fantasy series after you. That's correct: I'll use your real name, your username, or a character name you create as a character in my new fantasy series. Of course, if your name is Bob, we might want to go with something a little more fantasy-ish.

For the #1 Treasure Points getter, I will give you one copy of every new book I write...for LIFE. That means, should the Lord allow me to live long enough to write all the stories rattling around in my head, you will get a signed copy of each one sent directly to you. Of course, if you move and don't give me your new address, then…someone else will be getting all those books. Doh!

*No Guarantee that your character won't get killed off in some horribly unpleasant manner.


Your mission, should you choose to--ah, you know the rest--is simply this accumulate the Most Treasure Points possible by Christmas 2007 by completing any and all of the tasks listed below:

Treasure Points Tasks Key

5 Treasure Points:
•Mention ANY of my books in a blog thread--your blog or someone else's--post the link in your comment.
•Recommend ANY of my books to someone you know--say who it was.
•Post a link to my blog anywhere on your blog--then, post the link here.
•Post a review of any of my books on a non-review site like a blog, school page, etc. Post a link here.

10 Treasure Points:
•Write a review of any of my books on Amazon or any online review site. Post the link for the review once it's up.
•Post cover artwork from any of my books on your blog and make it a link to Amazon or CBD. Post the link in your comment on this thread.
•Post a link for my book's Amazon or CBD page on your blog. Then, post the link here.

20 Treasure Points:
•Write a review of any of my books and post it on three different online review sites. Post the link for the review here once it's up.

25 Treasure Points:
•Recommend ANY of my books to someone you know--say who it was. And then, this person chose to buy the book!
•Spot ANY of my books in a bookstore outside of the state in which you live. Post here to let us know where and when.

50 Treasure Points:
•Buy a copy of Isle of Swords and post when and where you bought it.
•Buy any of The Door Within Books and post when and where you bought it.
•Write a review of ALL of my books and post ALL of them on THREE online review sites. Post the links for the reviews once they're up.
•Buy a copy of any book by one of the Fantasy Fiction Tour Authors: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, and Christopher Hopper.
•Create an Amazon Listmania List that includes The Door Within Books and Isle of Swords.
• Write AND present a book report on any Wayne Thomas Batson, Bryan Davis, Christopher Hopper, or Sharon Hinck book at school. 100pts. if you earn an A+ for that assignment.

75 Treasure Points:
•Go to a store that does not carry my books and special order it from that store.
•Go to a store that does not carry my books and persuade them to carry any of my books. Then, post here to tell us what store has now agreed to carry my book(s).
•Buy any of my books and donate them to your church library. Then post here to say where you bought them and what church received them.

100 Treasure Points:
•Buy a copy of ANY of my books for the Youth Group Leader of your church. Post a comment here to tell who, when, and where.
•Buy one copy of EACH of the Fantasy Fiction Tour Authors: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, Wayne Thomas Batson, and Christopher Hopper. (4 Books total) Post here to say where and when.
•Buy both of Christopher Hopper's books: Rise of the Dibor and The Lion Vrie. Post here to say where and when.
•Buy both of Sharon Hinck's Sword of Lyric Books: Restorer and Restorer's Son. Post here to say where and when.

400 Treasure Points:
•Buy The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, and Isle of Swords (ALL FOUR of my books). Post here and tell where you bought them and when.
•Buy all of Bryan Davis's Dragons in Our Midst Books (4) Post here to say where and when.


Note: Each of the preceding MAY be repeated as many times as you like.

Note #2: Each of the preceding must be performed from this day (September 18th, 2007) forward. But, upon further review, I have decided to allow contestants to count THREE past book purchases for Treasure Points. So, if you bought The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and The Final Storm last year, you can count those three, but no others.

Note #3: To claim ANY Treasure Points, you must post a comment on THIS thread explaining how you accomplished it.

Note #4: I may add to the list of Treasure Point Tasks at any time--and likely will because my twisted mind is always churning...

Note #5: Keep track of your own Treasure Points. I will keep a running tally in my sidebar and try to update it every week or two. But you should keep your total as well.

Note #6: You cannot kill several birds with one stone. Make sure you indicate in your post how many Treasure Points your accomplishment earned you. In other words, you can't buy one copy of The Door Within, count it for 25 points and then count it AGAIN once you buy the whole series 100 points.

Note #7: Any and all of the requirements are subject to change as I see how this develops. I want to keep it fair.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misc. Cool Item of Interest #2: Remember we just learned that Corner of the Sky Entertainment decided not to pursue The Door Within Trilogy for a future movie? Well, I've recently learned that another incredible opportunity may be on the horizon. I can't give details yet, but soon, a very connected person on the West Coast will be getting copies of The Door Within Trilogy and Isle of Swords for review. If he likes what he reads…good things could happen.

Please pray. I'll provide more details when I can.

Never alone.

--Wayne Thomas Batson

Treasure Hunt Update!

Hello, all! I'm happy to say I've met the deadline for Isle of Fire--thank you for the prayers and most of all THANK YOU, GOD!! More on that soon. Look for a post called "The Joys of Clicking Send" coming soon.

I wanted to UPDATE everyone on the Isle of Swords Treasure Hunt Contest. See the sidebar for new scores.

From now on, please post your new accomplishments as COMMENTS on this POST. I've listed the rules below for easy reference. Note the new Point Getter: Book Reports in School.

Also, if you're new to the contest, please don't feel like you cannot possibly catch up. You absolutely can. We have now entered the preChristmas corridor. Buying books as gifts could allow you to amp up your points in a hurry.

There are also lots of nonCostly methods of adding up the points: recommending the books is really easy, esp. if you make a recommendation to lots of friends.

And remember, all of the tasks are repeatable. I mean you can't post the same review twice on Amazon, but you CAN post the same review on a GaZillion different review sites.

Until next time: Never Alone!

5 Treasure Points:
•Mention ANY of my books in a blog thread--your blog or someone else's--post the link in your comment.
•Recommend ANY of my books to someone you know--say who it was.
•Post a link to my blog anywhere on your blog--then, post the link here.
•Post a review of any of my books on a non-review site like a blog, school page, etc. Post a link here.

10 Treasure Points:
•Write a review of any of my books on Amazon or any online review site. Post the link for the review once it's up.
•Post cover artwork from any of my books on your blog and make it a link to Amazon or CBD. Post the link in your comment on this thread.
•Post a link for my book's Amazon or CBD page on your blog. Then, post the link here.

20 Treasure Points:
•Write a review of any of my books and post it on three different online review sites. Post the link for the review here once it's up.

25 Treasure Points:
•Recommend ANY of my books to someone you know--say who it was. And then, this person chose to buy the book!
•Spot ANY of my books in a bookstore outside of the state in which you live. Post here to let us know where and when.

50 Treasure Points:
•Buy a copy of Isle of Swords and post when and where you bought it.
•Buy any of The Door Within Books and post when and where you bought it.
•Write a review of ALL of my books and post ALL of them on THREE online review sites. Post the links for the reviews once they're up.
•Buy a copy of any book by one of the Fantasy Fiction Tour Authors: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, and Christopher Hopper.
•Create an Amazon Listmania List that includes The Door Within Books and Isle of Swords.
• Write AND present a book report on any Wayne Thomas Batson, Bryan Davis, Christopher Hopper, or Sharon Hinck book at school. 100pts. if you earn an A+ for that assignment.

75 Treasure Points:
•Go to a store that does not carry my books and special order it from that store.
•Go to a store that does not carry my books and persuade them to carry any of my books. Then, post here to tell us what store has now agreed to carry my book(s).
•Buy any of my books and donate them to your church library. Then post here to say where you bought them and what church received them.

100 Treasure Points:
•Buy a copy of ANY of my books for the Youth Group Leader of your church. Post a comment here to tell who, when, and where.
•Buy one copy of EACH of the Fantasy Fiction Tour Authors: Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, Wayne Thomas Batson, and Christopher Hopper. (4 Books total) Post here to say where and when.
•Buy both of Christopher Hopper's books: Rise of the Dibor and The Lion Vrie. Post here to say where and when.
•Buy both of Sharon Hinck's Sword of Lyric Books: Restorer and Restorer's Son. Post here to say where and when.

400 Treasure Points:
•Buy The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, and Isle of Swords (ALL FOUR of my books). Post here and tell where you bought them and when.
•Buy all of Bryan Davis's Dragons in Our Midst Books (4) Post here to say where and when.


Note: Each of the preceding MAY be repeated as many times as you like.

Note #2: Each of the preceding must be performed from this day (September 18th, 2007) forward. But, upon further review, I have decided to allow contestants to count THREE past book purchases for Treasure Points. So, if you bought The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and The Final Storm last year, you can count those three, but no others.

Note #3: To claim ANY Treasure Points, you must post a comment on THIS thread explaining how you accomplished it.

Note #4: I may add to the list of Treasure Point Tasks at any time--and likely will because my twisted mind is always churning...

Note #5: Keep track of your own Treasure Points. I will keep a running tally in my sidebar and try to update it every week or two. But you should keep your total as well.

Note #6: You cannot kill several birds with one stone. Make sure you indicate in your post how many Treasure Points your accomplishment earned you. In other words, you can't buy one copy of The Door Within, count it for 25 points and then count it AGAIN once you buy the whole series 100 points.

Note #7: Any and all of the requirements are subject to change as I see how this develops. I want to keep it fair.